Notre Dame Football: Preview, prediction, live stream vs. Wake Forest

Notre Dame football continued its winning way last week, taking down NC State by. The Irish will look to keep things going this weekend against Wake Forest.

If Notre Dame’s defense hasn’t looked scary enough up to this point, Saturday’s matchup serves as a “revenge game” of sorts for defensive coordinator Mike Elko. He spent the past three seasons with the Demon Deacons, adding a little something extra to what many consider a possible trap game for the Irish.

This wouldn’t be the first trap game faced by Notre Dame, however, as the Irish have made easy work of both Miami of Ohio and NC State following some of their biggest wins of the season. Conversely, the Irish have yet to face off against an unranked opponent following a stretch of such tough competition.

Now that the Irish have been ranked third in the nation by the college playoff committee, every game becomes just as valuable as the last. Any loss at this point would all but eliminate the Irish from playoff contention, making each and every game critical, including Saturday’s matchup with Wake Forest.

Here’s how to keep track of all the action this weekend:

Date: Saturday, Nov. 4
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: South Bend, Ind.
Venue: Notre Dame Stadium
TV: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports

Keys to Victory

The key to victory for the Irish is fairly simple. The Irish boast one of the most explosive rushing attacks in the country and should be able to run all over a Demon Deacons team that has allowed over four yards per carry on the season. Notre Dame was able to post a more than respectable 318 rushing yards on an NC State team that ranked sixth in the nation, setting this up to be another solid showing from the Irish backfield.

Wake Forest has a much tougher task in front of them, facing an Irish team that has made few mistakes over the last few weeks. With the best bet for most underdogs lying in the turnover battle, the Deacons greatest chance at making this one close is to fluster Notre Dame’s offense through a few early turnovers. However, Wake Forest averages just over one turnover per game, making that a very, very tall task.

Prediction

Given how well the Irish have played against competition much greater than Wake Forest, this game should be theirs for the taking as long as they stick to their brand of football. The Demon Deacons are nothing to write home about in terms of defense, and currently sit 47th in points scored. While this certainly fits the bill as a trap game, it also awards the Irish an opportunity to take a break from facing top of the line competition.

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Look for the Irish to establish the run game early. Should this be the case, Wake Forest could be in for a long contest. Quarterback Brandon Wimbush has proved more than capable of managing this offense in terms of the pass game, but it will likely be the Irish defense who delivers the most blows. Don’t be surprised if this one gets away from the Deacons early.

Final Score: Wake Forest 13, Notre Dame 30